Kaito, what's with your hair?
by bubblysage
Summary: Written for the DC Fanfiction Server Secret Santa Exchange Prompts: magic accident (kaito, akako), what's with you hair Kaito? (shinichi, aoko)


"Kaito, what are you doing?"

Shinichi's voice came from behind and nearly caused Kaito to bump his head into the mirror. Kaito had been trying to tame the wild nest known as his hair into some semblance of order but to no avail. He gave up with a huff and put the comb down.

He turned around and glared at a still smiling Shinichi. "It's not like you're faring any better." Kaito eyed Shinichi's messy mop.

"Yes, but at least it's still marginally neater than yours."

Kaito refused to voice out his agreement, lest Shinichi gains further ammunition. "Believe it or not, my hair wasn't always like this."

Shinichi's eyes sparkled with curiosity, "Yea?"

"Yeah!" Kaito's exuberance pushed Shinichi back into disbelief.

With a chuckle, Shinichi quickly glanced at Kaito's hair before saying, "The idea of you well-coiffed is a little… far-fetched."

Kaito rolled his eyes and swatted at Shinichi, which the latter neatly dodged. "I'm not saying my hair laid flat or was smooth or something," Even Kaito snickered at his statement. "But it hadn't always been this unruly."

A knock on the door put a halt on the conversation. Both men turned towards the door, which cracked open to reveal Akako. "Are you two ladies done, or do you need more time?"

_Oh, speak of the devil._ Kaito thought how timely Akako's interference was. "We were just on our way out."

Akako smirked at them before turning and walking away. Shinichi clapped Kaito on the back. "Tell me on the way, c'mon."

xxx

Most children inherit their hairstyles from their parents. A quick study of Toichi and Chikage would show that Kaito's wild mop of hair seemed rather unnatural, and it actually was, unnatural. After all, Kaito's wild mane was a result of an unfortunate accident, most of which Kaito seemed to have forgotten, or perhaps that was part of Akako's spell?

It was the winter of Kaito's seventh birthday, right around the Holidays, when it happened. The Kuroba family went overseas for one of Toichi's performances. Kaito had always been a precocious kid and it was nigh impossible to expect him to sit still in a hotel room while his parents went to a show.

"Kaito, why don't you come with us? You always enjoyed Toichi's shows." Chikage asked a sullen Kaito, who was currently face-down on the bed she was sitting on.

"Mmmhhh nngghh mmffhhppp!" To the untrained ear, Kaito's muffled words sounded pained, but Chikage knew better; Kaito was just being difficult.

With a soft chuckle and an eye-roll that her son, fortunately, didn't see, Chikage reached out and patted her son's head. "Well, if you change your mind, we'll be at the main ballroom on the 9th floor." Then she stood and the mattress bounced at the reduced weight, jostling Kaito, who remained unfazed.

Toichi emerged from the adjoining door, one hand clutching the cuff of his left sleeve. He took one look at the prone figure on the bed and then at the exasperated look on his wife's face, then grinned.

Chikage shook her head as if silently communicating with Toichi not to say a word, as she approached him. "Kaito didn't seem inclined to join us," she said while she took over fixing Toichi's cuffs. "I will tell Jii to look over him while we're out."

Then she turned around and addressed Kaito, who didn't move a single inch the entire time, "Jii will be here to watch over you. In case you get bored, you can explore around, but please keep to the hotel and don't go outside."

There was no response from the figure on the bed. With a sigh and another roll of her eyes, Chikako turned around and disappeared through the door.

"I heard there's an open exhibit on the 4th floor, something about different cultural practices around the world. Sounds interesting." Toichi's voice was neutral, but he knew Kaito's interest had been piqued if the slight twitch of his head was any indication. Satisfied that Kaito will be kept preoccupied, Toichi withdrew to the other room and closed the adjoining door gently.

He turned around and saw his wife talking to Jii. As he crossed the room, he caught the tail end of the conversation: mostly Chikage repeating what she had told Kaito earlier. As the couple exited their hotel suite, Toichi clasped Chikage's hand to reassure her, "Don't worry, Kaito will be fine, he takes after both of us after all."

"That's what I'm afraid of actually."

The mirth in Chikage's voice was his undoing and Toichi let out a rich bark of laughter as he realized how dreadfully accurate that assessment was. Chikage smiled ruefully at Toichi just as they stepped into the open elevator.

xxx

Meanwhile back in the Kuroba suite, Kaito listened for sounds of his parents' departure. As soon as the voices died down, he leaped up from the bed and tiptoed towards the adjoining door. He pressed an ear against the surface of the door, trying to ascertain the presence of people on the other side. Carefully, he turned the knob and pulled the door slightly open. He peered through the crack and surveyed the other room. Not seeing anyone, he pulled the door wider, slipped through, and then closed the door silently behind him.

Kaito turned around and quickly padded towards the main door. He made it out of the room and into the elevator without alerting Jii. As the elevator descended, Kaito thought it had been too easy. The thought vanished from his mind when the elevator doors opened on the 4th floor—thankfully the elevators in the hotel didn't require cards for lower floors though Kaito knew he'd have to figure out how to get back up to their suite later.

The hallway on the 4th floor was carpeted and the walls on each side were decorated with gilded paintings. Stanchions were neatly lined side by side in front of the paintings, giving off a formal vibe. Kaito felt as if he was walking through a huge museum instead of a hotel floor.

Near the end of the hallway were huge wooden doors that opened to a spacious room with surprisingly high ceilings. The lighting in the room was slightly dim compared to the hallway. Each side of the room mounted different displays, cordoned off so people wouldn't cross and accidentally step over or break any of the delicate figures and statues on display.

What drew Kaito's attention though was the display in the center of the room: bits of straw were strewn haphazardly on the floor and in the middle were piles of similarly sized rocks arranged in a circular pattern. Two pairs of crisscrossed bamboo poles tied at the middle were erected outside the circle of rock opposite each other. A thicker bamboo pole lay atop the crisscrossed poles, where a pot was suspended.

Beside this set-up was what seemed to be a hut of some sort—it was made of thick cloth and looked like an upside-down ice cream cone. Kaito had read about Native Indians from his father's books and he surmised that what he was seeing was a depiction of their natural dwelling place. However, he couldn't recall reading about the black dolls that hung from the flap of the hut's entrance, nor the presence of a crow perched just above where the pot was suspended on the pole.

He also thought Native Indians had darker skin, so he walked closer to take a look at the figure of the young girl with long, ebony hair standing with her back to him right next to the pot. She was dressed in a black garb that reached to her toes, and for a moment Kaito thought she had moved.

_Impossible_, Kaito thought as he stepped closer, his hand outreached to touch the girl.

Before his hand could make contact, the girl turned around. Kaito nearly yelped, surprised to find out the girl was real and not a statue as he had originally thought.

Dark eyes flashed angrily at him. "What do you think you're doing, you peasant?"

_Peasant? Huh? Is she talking to me?_ Kaito wondered after he recovered from his shock. "Oi, who are you calling peasant?"

"Who else but you?" Was the haughty response.

Incensed, Kaito retorted back. "You think you're someone special? What are you even doing in there?"

The girl flipped her hair as if dismissing Kaito. "Nothing a peasant like you would understand." Then she turned her attention back to the pot.

Kaito grumbled under his breath but he knew that displaying his anger wouldn't do him any good. He was still curious about the girl and the intensity with which she stared at the pot. He thought about how to get her to answer him, and after a few seconds, he put his hands on the back of his head and casually said, "Meh. I bet you're just making things up. You don't know either."

While he was baiting the girl, Kaito didn't expect her to bite so soon. She turned to him, her amber eyes flickering with emotion. "O—of course I do!"

"I don't believe you," Kaito said nonchalantly. He turned away slowly while saying, "I bet you're lying."

What sounded like a foot stomping on the ground reached Kaito's ears and he grinned. "I'm not lying! What do you even know?" The girl's voice trembled slightly.

Kaito turned around, his face painted in disbelief, aimed at further riling up the girl. It seemed to work if the scowl on the girl's face was any indication. Kaito had to fight down a smile. "Tell me then, what it is you're doing."

At his words, the girl seemed taken aback. Her lips thinned and it looked like she was internally debating whether to tell him or not. Kaito really wanted to know what she was doing, but he knew that if he let on, the girl might dismiss him again.

Instead, he shrugged and said, "I guess you really didn't know—"

"I was doing magic."

Kaito was no stranger to magic—his father was, after all, a world-renowned magician—however, there was something about the girl that made him believe she was talking about a different kind of magic. "Show me."

The girl froze at his words and for a moment Kaito thought she was going to refuse. He was about to goad her again when her entire countenance changed. She stood very still with her eyes closed, and Kaito watched in awe as all tension visibly left her body. When she opened her eyes, Kaito thought he saw a flash of red. She started mumbling something, but Kaito was too far to hear. Her lips moved too fast for Kaito to make out any words.

He was about to ask when the hairs at the back of his nape stood on end. Goosebumps crawled up his arm and Kaito stood transfixed. It seemed crazy but he just knew that he wouldn't be able to move even if he tries to. He watched as the girl lifted one hand and pointed a finger at him. Suddenly fearful of what was to come, Kaito squeezed his eyes shut.

A second or two passed but nothing happened. Kaito cracked one eye open and then the other. He relaxed his shoulder and realized the earlier tension that seemed to grip his entire body was gone. He looked around but everything seemed unchanged.

Kaito touched his face, then the top of his head, then his arms and his legs but nothing seemed out of the normal. He looked at the girl who had a dumbfounded look on her face: her eyes were blown wide and her hands were covering her mouth as if she expected something to happen and was shocked to see that nothing happened.

_Ok, now she's just being weird and dramatic._ Kaito thought cynically. _That was such a waste of time._ He shook his head and turned around, only to bump into Jii.

"KYAAA!" Kaito yelped and landed on his butt with a thud.

"Young master, I've been looking for you!"

Recovering from his shock, Kaito remembered what just happened. "Jii-san, I have something to tell you," Kaito bounced on his feet and then turned back towards the exhibit. "Do you see—," But there was nothing there. The girl, along with the hut, pot, bamboo poles, and even the bird, had all completely vanished.

"Hmm, see what, young master?"

Kaito looked around but the girl was nowhere to be found. The people around them were going on their business normally and didn't seem to notice them at all, so it was unlikely that they had seen the girl or the display earlier. With a shake of his head, Kaito mumbled _"Nothing"_ and then turned around towards the door.

He remained quiet during the entire ride up to their suite. Beside him, Jii-san was reiterating how upset the mistress would be once she found out, but Kaito's mind was elsewhere. Who was that girl? More importantly, even if nothing happened to me, how did she make herself and everything disappear?

Surprisingly, his parents weren't even upset when they found out what happened. He had expected it from his father, after all, he was the one who left him that hint. But he was surprised that his mother was being lenient on him.

After a proper bath and a change of sleepwear, Chikage sat him down on his bed. Kaito thought he was finally getting a lecture, but he was surprised when Chikage simply hugged him tightly. When she pulled back, Kaito thought there might have been tears in her eyes. "I know you were probably bored, and I really want to be angry at you, especially after what Jii told us." Then her eyes softened and Kaito felt ashamed for making his mother worry. "But I'm just glad you're ok and nothing untoward has happened to you."

He hung his head and his throat felt stiff when he mumbled, "I'm sorry, mum." He wasn't sure his mother heard him until he felt a soft pat on his head.

Kaito yawned, feeling suddenly drowsy, and Chikage took that as her cue to leave. She gave his son one last pat on the head and then stood up from her perch on his bed. As he crawled under the covers, Chikage studied her son and thought there seemed something strange with him but she couldn't put her finger on it. She dismissed the feeling and left after bidding him a good night.

The following morning when Kaito strolled outside his room to join his parents for breakfast, Chikage finally figured it out. She was sipping her morning tea when it hit her, and she replaced the cup on its saucer before asking, "Kaito, what's with your hair?"

xxx

"At first I thought mom was just being rude," Kaito said after recounting the events from his childhood. "I told her I had just woken up. But when I got a better look at myself later that day, I realized my hair was standing on end in different directions like a rooster's feather! And it's been that way ever since."

Shinichi briefly glanced at Kaito's hair before bursting out in laughter. Kaito could only look on in exasperation at Shinichi's blatant amusement; he couldn't even muster being angry. After getting himself under control, Shinichi turned to him, "Well, at least it makes for a good story."

Kaito could only groan in defeat. When he met Akako again years later, he had asked her to turn his hair back the way it was. She took one look at him and then his hair before flatly refusing him outright.

"Well, when you two are done chit-chatting, could we please get on with the ceremony?" Akako glared at the two for good measure before stepping closer to adjust the corsage on Kaito's suit.

Shinichi took advantage of this and ducked out, muttering something about checking on Akai. Kaito wanted to yell _"Coward!"_ at Shinichi's retreating form but he didn't think Akako would appreciate that.

After a few minutes of fumbling with the flower, Akako stepped back and surveyed Kaito. When her gaze landed on his hair, a look passed on her face and then she muttered, "Nothing we can do about that mess though."

"That mess, as you call it, was entirely your doing!" Kaito said hotly, cheeks turning red, as he tried to flatten his hair into submission once more. "Just turn it back to the way it was, please!"

Akako chuckled behind one hand, "Oh Kaito dear, don't you know, it's part of your charm." Then she walked away, still chuckling behind her hand.

Kaito could only grumble a curse under his breath. If he didn't know any better, he'd think Akako refused to undo her magic because she didn't know how. _Heh, I bet she did it accidentally and didn't know how to undo it!_ Kaito thought evilly, and then as the realization sunk in, he groaned. Regardless of what Akako's reasons were, Kaito always seemed to be on the losing end.

Before he could continue his train of thought, soft music floated inside the church. Kaito straightened up as he awaited the signal for him to start walking down the aisle. He could sense Amuro fidgeting behind him.

Kaito turned around halfway and patted Amuro on the shoulder, "Hey man, it's your big day. Relax." Then he glanced up at the perfectly flat strands of hair on Amuro's head. "You have really pretty hair, you practically have nothing to worry about."

Perhaps it was his earlier conversation with Shinichi about his hair or Akako's earlier taunts, but Kaito had no idea why he said what he had just said. It seemed to work though because Amuro burst into a fit of laughter. After a few seconds, Amuro tapped him on one shoulder. "Thanks, Kaito! You really are the best man for the job!"

Kaito wanted to explain his gaffe but the wedding coordinator was motioning at him to start walking. He'll have to explain to Amuro some other time. Putting on his best smile, Kaito took a deep breath and then stepped forward.

-END-


End file.
